A technology-mediated intervention for improving daily-life activities executions in adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background and objectives Performing functional skills with as much independence as possible can significantly contribute to a person’s meaningful participation in society and overall quality of life. Teaching daily living... [ view full abstract ]

Background and objectives
Performing functional skills with as much independence as possible can significantly contribute to a person’s meaningful participation in society and overall quality of life. Teaching daily living skills can foster the independence of individuals with ASD. The objective of this study was to implement a novel intervention based on the use of an application for tablets and smartphones to improve daily-life activities executions.

Methodology
Four males between 22 and 37 years old diagnosed with ASD and intellectual disability participated in the study after informed consents from parents or carers were obtained. The intervention was implemented in a day centre located in Valencia (Spain) they regularly attend. An ABAB design was applied to evaluate the number of verbal and physical prompts participants needed to complete the activities (i.e. washing dishes, doing laundry) when they were using the tablet compared to when they were using a traditional instruction method (i.e. paper-based pictures). All participants completed 12 sessions during eight weeks.

Results
All participants needed less support or fewer prompts to complete the activities when they used the tablet compared to when they used the paper-based pictures. Moreover, they completed the activities in less time and they showed less disruptive behaviours during the tablet-based sessions. All four participants expressed their preference for the novel teaching method.

Conclusions
The piece of technology used in this study has the potential to improve daily-life activities executions and therefore it should be considered when designing educational programmes for promoting independence among individuals with ASD.

This submission could form part of a discussion panel on ASD and technology. The study was conducted following BERA’s ethical guidelines for educational research. The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose. [ view full abstract ]

This submission could form part of a discussion panel on ASD and technology.

The study was conducted following BERA’s ethical guidelines for educational research.

The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.